1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to adhesives, and particularly to a time-release dental adhesive for bonding to teeth for a limited period of time, or for bonding two materials together for a limited period of time.
2. Description of the Related Art
Dental adhesives for restorations and repair are well known. However, such adhesives are used with a cement and are formulated for permanent adhesion. Denture adhesives are designed for temporary use. However, denture adhesives are generally formulated for adhesion between the plate and the roof of the mouth, and while strong enough to hold dentures in the mouth, are not strong enough for other applications, e.g., for holding upper and lower teeth together.
There are some applications where it is desired to adhere a material to the teeth for a limited period of time. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,185,654, issued Mar. 6, 2007 to Haddix et al., describes a system for preventing snoring that employs a tape that adheres to the teeth to secure the lower and upper teeth together to keep the mouth closed during sleep to prevent snoring. Similarly, it may be desired to adhere the teeth together for a limited period of time to prevent snacking between meals, to adhere a decoration or appliance to the teeth for a limited period of time, etc.
Thus, a time-release dental adhesive solving the aforementioned problems is desired.